


Protecting the Sun

by Minuscule_Light



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19717831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minuscule_Light/pseuds/Minuscule_Light
Summary: Protection is an instinct to what is most precious, to what shines most bright. But the sun has its own destiny, its own purpose to fulfill and needs no protection from it, only acceptance and support. But stubbornness will always fight against it ... to the last end.





	1. Our Evenings Here

A battle cry rent the air as a keyblade slammed down upon a heartless. The Zip Slasher raised its bladed arm. Sparks flew. Metal clanged against metal and deflected the blow with ease. Roxas leapt back, gasping from exertion. The heartless wasted no time and lunged forward but the boy quickly rolled out of the way, just missing it. 

“Why are you guys so time consuming,” he shouted.

He gripped the pommel more tightly and prepared to swing again. Luckily, the heartless gave an opening and the keyblade struck. The creature stumbled and Roxas pummeled it again and again, each blow harder than the last. Without warning, it lunged forward with its bladed arms and caught Roxas in the side. No! Why did he always do that? More often than not, he made the same mistake of attacking too long without breaking and going on the defense. He felt spent but he still had one last trick up his sleeve. 

Pillars of light surrounded him for an instant before his whole body glowed. His movements were lightning quick and each blow he dealt landed solidly and deeply. The creature was helpless. One more blow and it finally disappeared in a plume of smoke, its heart floating into the sky. 

Breathing hard, Roxas saw it disappear. He was always left curious as he watched the heart ascend above him; no matter how many heartless he took out, he always felt compelled to watch it go.

Digging the keyblade into the ground, he leaned on it for balance, trying to regain his strength and catch his breath. That was the mission done for the day and now, Roxas could relax. A sudden breeze rushed through him, his skin cold from the sweat that had beaded on his brow from earlier. He drew in a breath and let everything go, the mission, Saix’s permanent scowling face, the Organization. He was free now, and he only had one thought on his mind.

“One sea salt ice cream, please.” 

He reached out with a gloved hand and gripped the ice cream stick. 

“Enjoy, dear,” the cashier said..

“Thank you. Always a pleasure.” He smiled for the first time that day and turned to head up to the clock tower. 

When he reached the ledge, it was empty. He must’ve got the mission done faster than he thought. Roxas sat down at his usual spot and took a bite. The cold was good on his parched throat as he took in the reds and golds of the setting sun. After a time, voices reached his ears.

“Hey, hey.” 

“Hi, Roxas!” 

He turned to see his two best friends and he grinned. “Axel Xion! Glad to see you two could make it.” 

Axel plopped himself down on Roxas’ right side, and Xion settled lightly at his left. 

“Are you kidding? Wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Axel said, unwrapping his ice cream bar. 

Xion giggled. “Why would we miss the best part of our day?” 

“Did work go well for you guys,” Roxas asked, regarding them both.

“Like a breeze.” Axel stretched his arms wide behind him before settling in his usual relaxed position and took a big bite out of the ice cream. 

“The usual routine,” Xion answered as she took a bite of her own.

The three of them watched the setting sun, the golds and pinks highlighting the edges of the rolling clouds. A light wind blew and all three were quiet and peaceful, enjoying each other’s company without a word, though much was said. Their friendship defied all logic and reason, even the Organization itself. Without hearts, feelings of remorse, fear, love, and sadness were non-existent and though the emotions were sometimes outwardly conveyed, they were merely an illusion of past memories. Yet Roxas felt all of those things, despite Axel’s insistence that they were Nobodies who couldn’t feel anything. He did feel happiness with his friends. Though it was routine, he’d like to think Axel and Xion enjoyed their time with him, as he did with them. 

Engrossed in conversation, it was easy, as easy as wielding a keyblade and swiping at heartless. They spoke of their missions, how boring they were, how routine it was, how difficult and demanding the heartless were sometimes to take out alone or even paired up. Roxas and Xion laughed together about the things they both found frustrating. Even Axel joined in on occasion, and they all three laughed until their sides hurt.

“You paired up with Demyx, I bet that was fun,” Roxas laughed. 

“I may as well have been by myself,” Xion said. 

“That lazy bones will find any excuse in the book to make a quick exit,” Axel added, “and dump all the work onto someone else.”

Roxas bumped shoulders with her. “You and I should’ve been paired up together. We’d make quick work of that mission.”

Axel chuckled. “Maybe if you ask Saix nicely, he might let you.” 

“Yeah right.” Roxas rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure if I was in trouble and asked nicely for help, he’d leave me there and say he was doing me a favor.” 

Axel snorted back a laugh.”True enough.”

“I wouldn’t …” 

Roxas was turned towards Axel, but he heard Xion’s words, as soft as the wind that blew around them. Axel had been too busy laughing to hear. Roxas showed no signs of having heard her, but what she said surprised him. He looked out towards the sunset and raised a hand to his empty chest that now swirled and fluttered with an odd kind of movement. He didn’t say anything, but if Xion had his back, he most certainly had hers. 

He never dared ask Saix for anything because the likely answer would be no, and also, he was afraid of getting angry around him. There was a darkness that settled within Roxas at the mere thought of Saix - especially if it involved Xion. 

“You ever get the urge to throw a dart in the middle of his face? Demyx did once, on a dare. The poor guy hid in his room for a week.” 

Xion laughed. “Axel, don’t start making me feel sorry for him. I can’t believe you made him do that!”

Axel raised his hands in defense. “Me?! It was Xigbar’s idea! Why am I always assumed to be the culprit?” 

“Maybe because you always are.”

“Hey!” He leaned over and ruffled her hair.

Xion laughed again. “I’m surprised he’s not as … laid back as you and Demyx.”

Axel smirked to himself. “Xigbar’s got his own thing going on. He’s a bit too high up on the chain to cater with us lowly numbers.” 

A gloved hand soon passed over Roxas’s face and he looked up at his friend.

“You still with us or did you zone out again?” 

Roxas shook his head. “Just .. he makes me so mad sometimes. I’d certainly like to throw a dart at his stupid x face. I wouldn’t miss. And neither would I hide away in my room.” 

“Making fun of him is fine, I do it all the time and then some. But remember, he’s still your superior.” 

“Yours too, right Axel,” Xion asked. 

“Mine, too,” he confirmed. Axel’s green eyes peered at his friend, blond head bowed and staring at his hands. He patted his back. 

“Hey. I’ll put in a good word for you, alright? I can’t promise anything but, it at least might get you paired up with better company tomorrow.” 

“But even if we don’t,” Xion said, “we still have our evenings here.” 

Roxas looked up and gazed into her blue eyes. She smiled sweetly, a smile she only ever did here, or was it just around him? He wasn’t sure but that lovely smile suited her so much. 

“Thank you, guys,” he said and managed a smile of his own. 

*** 

Alone in his room, Roxas sat at his desk, making a note in his journal. Nothing too exciting happened on his mission, but he always felt it important to make a note about him and his friends. He didn’t say it but it was always on his mind - he missed them when they were apart. Whenever they were together, it just felt right. It wasn’t so much the icecream or the sunset that brought that wonderful feeling - it was them being together. And that meant far more to him than any counting of days. 

I want these days to last forever.

He dotted the end of the sentence before closing the journal and went to sleep.

***

Roxas reached for a long, black coat hanging in a closet. He unzipped it and drew his arms in, zipping it back up to his throat before pulling black gloves over his hands. Glancing at himself in a mirror, he ran a hand through his spikey, blond hair and yawned. Sometimes, missions came much too early in the morning. Today, he had no idea what to expect but he figured it would be more of the same. He already couldn’t wait for the mission to be over so he could spend his evening at the clock tower eating ice cream with his friends. He sighed to himself and shut the door behind him. 

The long hallway opened up to the Grey Area, a semi-circular room that had a panoramic view of the sky - and Kingdom Hearts. That was where missions were given out. He saw Xion out of the corner of his eye. She caught his gaze and her lips pulled in a small smile and an equally small wave. 

“Good morning, Roxas.” 

“Good morning, Xion. Who are you paired up with today?” 

“Well … you,” she said simply. 

He couldn’t hide the brightness in his eyes and his smile widened. He couldn’t believe it. Axel’s word worked. 

“Roxas, you and Xion are to head to a new world where there have been sightings of a large heartless in the area.” 

He turned to see Saix and his smile vanished at once as that familiar darkness settled in the emptiness of his chest at the sight of the seventh Organization member. Saix gave everyone their missions everyday and saw to it that everything remained on schedule. It was hard to miss the x shaped scar that marked the middle of his face. How he got it, nobody knew but him. Instead of a dart, Roxas wanted to hurl his entire weight behind his fist at him. The feeling always came but he swallowed it down. He waited for anything more from Saix, further instructions or a snide remark, but there was nothing. His cold amber eyes were turned away to give orders to Luxord and Xigbar. 

“Remember, it’s not a vacation, you two.” 

Roxas turned to the sound of the voice and saw Axel sitting on the coach, legs propped up on the table. Roxas smiled again and nodded.

“Right.” He dared not say it, but a thank you shown in his eyes. Axel saw and nodded his head slightly, the smile never leaving his lips.

“Come on, Roxas.” 

Xion summoned a darkness corridor and the two of them stepped inside and disappeared together.


	2. The Warmth You Give Me

“Roxas! Behind you!”

Xion swiped her keyblade at a heartless in front of her, though her eyes were quick and observant, darting constantly between her foes and her friend. She kept an eye out for any blindspots if she couldn’t physically get there in time. He heard her and in one seamless motion, twisted around and slashed at the heartless behind him without even looking. They locked eyes for a second and he grinned before swiping at another black swarm. 

That’s how it was when they were together on heartless duty. It was a dance to them, one they used for training and honing their skills. Wielding the keyblade became effortless for them both - taking out heartless and keeping an eye on each other at the same time. He stepped, she swiped; she jumped, and he turned; always in sync, a togetherness that they knew only with each other. The other Organization members felt clumsy, slow, and unnatural. They were far too eager to bark out orders that went against their instincts. The other members made it into the chore that it always was. 

Xion flung herself back from a feisty shadow that slashed out with its little arms, antenna quivering. She suddenly pressed into the warmth of Roxas’s back.

“You ready,” he asked in a confident tone. 

She made a noise of agreement, her brow furrowing in determination. Both glowed with an ethereal light, beams of white circled around them before projecting outward, catching the last of the heartless in its blazing wake. 

When the last shadow disintegrated and disappeared, she drew in several breaths, a hand at her empty chest.

“Are you ok?” Roxas peered at her, his eyes heavy with concern. 

She smiled. “Yes, yes … I’m fine.” 

She straightened to prove that she was. He tilted his head slightly, a half smile on his face.

“Ok. Just making sure.” 

They gazed out around them. Countryside stretched off into the distance and a well beaten dirt road disappeared beyond the hills. The sun shone down, set in a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. 

“It seems peaceful enough,” Roxas observed. “Hard to imagine a large heartless ravaging a world like this.” 

“But there were heartless here,” she reminded him.

Putting a curled finger to her mouth in thought for a moment, she looked at him and smiled. 

“Why don’t we take our time with it? It is a large heartless, after all. Let’s enjoy ourselves while we can as we search for it.” 

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” 

When she was on a mission, either by herself or with another Organization member, she found her mind drifting to Roxas and wishing that it was him she was on a mission with. Being such a rare occurrence, it only made sense to slow down, take the sights in instead of rushing to the end goal only to have a brief respite at the clocktower and then back to the same old, tired routine. Who knew when they’d have another mission together, and in such a pretty place?

The dirt road was flanked with sprawling farmland. Horses neighed in the distance and peered at them in between grazing, tails swishing back and forth, flies buzzing around their twitching flanks. 

Walking several lengths down the road, Xion thought about it a moment before suddenly veering off and made her way through the grass. Stepping over rotted fencing, she drew near one of the horses. It snorted, ears swiveling towards her. As she got closer, it raised its head and trotted off a ways. She rested her hands on her knees as best the coat would allow, and patted her leg as if the horse was a dog. The horse shook its head in response and snorted. 

Roxas came up behind her and laughed.

“I don’t think it works the same as a dog.” 

“It was worth a try, at least.” 

“Have you tried whistling?” 

Xion lowered her head. “I don’t know how.” 

Without hesitating, Roxas put his fingers in his mouth and let out a long, high whistle. The horses neighed in response, looking at them with ears pricked forward. Xion regarded him in amazement. “I didn’t know you could do that.” 

“Ya gotta get Demyx’s attention somehow.” 

Roxas whistled again, followed by another horse whinnying at them. It stepped tentatively forward, head bobbing as it walked. Roxas stepped back and offered Xion the moment.

Mesmerized, she reached out with a hand towards its muzzle and the horse stepped into it. She grinned, her eyes beaming with delight. Roxas glanced at the horse but found his eyes rooted to her. Her elation seemed to be a light that shone from within and all he could do was stare with a wonder of his own. 

“Nobody else would’ve let me do this,” she said softly, still too overjoyed at getting to pet it. “Animals don’t treat me the way he does.” 

She glanced at Roxas, his brow furrowed in deep thought. She hated bringing it up all the time, but she also wished it didn’t happen at all. She didn’t want to conjure up bad thoughts; it wasn’t easy for him, either. Animals treated her more like a regular Nobody than the other members of the Organization. The thought of it made her sad but she pushed it aside. She refused to be taken down that path so long as she was in this new world with Roxas. There was nobody around and she felt safe to divert from the mission a little.

“Thank you.” 

“For what? For this? Xion, if you want to pet a horse, you can. I’m not going to stop you from doing that. In fact, I encourage it. When we’re on missions together, if you want to side track a little, you have all the power in the world. And besides,” he reached out and patted the horse’s neck, “it is an amazing looking animal.” 

“You sound a little like Axel,” Xion mused. “You never stray from the mission. I think he’s rubbing off on you.” 

“He can be laid back sometimes,” Roxas said. “Though, not all the time. But you’re right, since we’re here, we may as well enjoy it.”

He smiled and a warmth spread from Xion’s empty chest. 

“Just don’t name it or else you’ll want to keep it. And I doubt even Axel could make Saix say yes to that.”

***

It felt like they had been walking for hours, feeling the passing time in the soreness of their feet, but their spirits remained as high as ever. Conversations went from missing sea salt ice cream to laughing about Demyx to both hating on Saix to wishing Axel was there. Roxas loved to hear her laugh and to see her smile. She truly did become a completely different person when she wasn’t bogged down by the stress of missions. He wondered if he changed as well? More horses and barns and old houses passed by as they plodded along. They ventured too close to the territory of an old hound dog who barked and followed them all the way to the fence. It looked so grumpy that even Xion didn’t dare take the chance to try and pet it. 

After words were spent, they resorted to poking each other in the sides and half running away in a mild game of tag. Roxas poked her in the ribs and she laughed every time. Xion poked him in the shoulder, the back and both of his sides, dancing around him as she did so. He sought to try to catch her but she’d run quickly out of his reach every time. He changed tactics and walked lazily ahead, hands in his pockets while Xion tried for another poke attack. Quickly twisting around, he finally grabbed her hands. She squealed in surprise. 

“Gotcha! I win.” 

“No fair!”

Both of them laughed. 

Just when they thought that the countryside seemed never ending, the dirt road paved and trees and grass turned into buildings and shops. They traveled further still until they made it within the city limits. 

“Finally,” Roxas said, breathing hard. “We could certainly use the rest.” He peered at Xion who looked as exhausted as he felt. 

“Come on,” he said, managing a smile. “We’re almost there.” 

They trudged down cobblestone roads as unfamiliar architecture of stylized buildings rose up on either side. Pointed roofs and ornamental hangings accented the many houses they passed. Buggies and carriages remained motionless on the side of the road. It wasn’t until they had to go around one, empty and abandoned, did they begin to realize that things weren’t exactly as they seemed. The world began to feel as empty as the carriage, a ghost town. Nothing could be seen in the shops and all the houses were locked and dark inside. Xion pointed at the signs; a language they didn’t know and added to the mystery of this new world.

Roxas spied a windowed shop and peered in at the empty chairs and tables. He tried the door. To his surprise, it opened. Xion followed inside, both on their guard in case anything jumped out at them from the shadows. Everything remained still and quiet. 

“You think it’s safe,” she asked.

“I don’t see any movement. It seems alright.”

“Where do you think everyone went,” Xion asked as she passed by a table, glancing into shadowed corners. “It’s so still. It’s a little unnerving.” 

“Maybe the heartless scared everyone away?” 

Booted heels stepped carefully around the back counter where the workers would be. The silence and emptiness began to creep into her bones. It was as if everyone vanished into thin air. A dripping sound reached her ears and she turned to see a coffee pot filled and warm on a burner. Maybe Roxas was right and they had to leave in a hurry. 

A sudden crash caused her to cry out and she whipped her head in the direction of the sound. 

“Sorry!” Roxas called out and Xion saw some container on the floor. 

“You scared me,” she said a little defensively. 

Roxas chuckled. “I didn’t mean to. I think we’re safe. There’s nothing here. Did you find anything?”

“Just some coffee in a pot. I think it’s still warm.”

“Well, since there’s nothing here, why don’t we take a little break and have some?” 

Xion smiled. “Ok!”

He went over and began pouring himself a cup or two. Xion glanced behind the counter.

“Well ... “ 

“You don’t want regular,” he asked. 

She smiled coyly. “Since no one is here … yet the ingredients are … may as well make what I like.” 

She disappeared behind the counter. Machines started whirring to life, a better sound than the empty silence that had permeated the area before. The sound made the vicinity feel normal and alive. 

Roxas found a seat by the window. Light streamed in, the coffee warm between his hands while the sun warmed his face. He heard Xion still rummaging through cupboards and drawers. It felt reminiscent of back in the Organization - without the ‘loud mouths,’ Demyx would say, and without Saix. Any time away from him was fantastic in Roxas’s book. Feeling satisfied and quite at ease, he took a sip. It was warm to his parched throat. Xion had become the Organization’s unofficial cook. Everything she made was delicious and no one complained, except Saix of course. Even Xemnas appreciated her meals and all Saix could do was scowl. Nobody else had seen that exchange except Roxas, and he remembered how he hid a laugh behind a gloved hand. Saix would’ve rather starved than admit that Xion was a good cook.

The sound of a cup landing on the table brought him out of his thoughts and he looked to see Xion smiling in accomplishment as she sat down. 

“It took a bit but, I did it! A mocha.” 

He leaned forward to see. The top was covered with whipped cream and syrup. 

“Is that a cup of coffee or is it a desert?”

“It’s both!”

They laughed. 

“It’s very good. You want to try?” 

“Only if you’ll try mine.” 

“Deal.” 

The two swapped cups. Xion took the daintiest sip of the regular drink and wrinkled her nose. Roxas tried to manage his way through the whipped cream. He finally tipped it to get to the actual coffee and burnt his tongue in the process. He quickly set the cup down and Xion suddenly laughed.

“What?”

“You got whipped cream on your nose! Here.” She leaned forward with a napkin and wiped it off. 

“Thanks. Wait! I think you missed a spot.” 

“Where?”

“Here!” In one swift movement, he tipped his finger with cream and quickly dabbed her nose with it. She made a noise of surprise and sat back. 

“I can’t believe you did that,” she exclaimed. 

He laughed and leaned forward over the small table and gently wiped the cream off with a napkin.

“Gotcha!” 

“Oh, you!” 

They both laughed.

Xion leaned back and took a sip of her coffee for the first time. It warmed her from within and she glanced out the window. Roxas took a sip of his drink and gazed out as well. 

“What do you make of this world,” she asked. Despite the wonderful moment, the world, itself, felt so eerie in its abandonment. Something was deeply wrong. She had never seen a world be so devoid of life before - no citizens, nothing. It was as if most everything up and vanished.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Roxas sighed softly. In truth, he referred only to this moment with her - a beautiful day outside, sitting in a cafe, drinking something delicious with his best friend, no cares or concerns. It was as if they were the only ones that existed and he was perfectly content with that. It was a kind of normal that he didn’t know he wanted until now. He glanced up to look at her. Her gaze was towards the window, the sunlight highlighting parts of her hair and falling across her face, causing her skin to glow, her mouth curved in a slight pout whenever she was deep in thought. She turned to look at him and he didn’t look away. Her blue eyes sparkled like the light dancing upon island waters. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, mouth parted slightly. Had she always looked this beautiful? 

Her brow furrowed slightly. “Huh? Are you ok?” 

He swallowed and averted his gaze. “Yeah,” he stammered. “I just - I guess the light was in my eyes, that’s all.” He lifted the cup to his mouth to take a sip, despite the drink already being gone. 

She gazed at him a moment, her lips pulling in a slight smile that she couldn’t help. “You can be really weird sometimes, Roxas.” 

“And you can’t?” He smirked and eyed her cooly, the prior nerves forgotten and teasing playfulness took its place. “Miss I’d-rather-drink-my-desserts-than-eat-them.” 

She laughed. “Roxas ... “ Then it dawned on her what his answer truly meant. She gazed at him anew, easily getting lost in the depth of his eyes, as blue as hers, piercing yet warm. Sunlight played on the ends of his hair, lighting them up like little flames and falling across his face, making him appear almost ethereal. The worry on his face was gone - completely erased. 

“It is nice here, isn’t it,” she asked softly. “Here … with you. It’s quiet and peaceful. No badgering or pressure. Just us, existing in this moment. How could it not be so wonderful?” 

He smiled, knowing that she finally understood. Their smiles came so easily and a peacefulness and serenity clouded their minds. He reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers. 

“I feel so safe with you,” she murmured. “I don’t have to worry about anything. I love when we have missions together. They’re different - in a good way.” 

“I love our missions together, too. I’ll keep you safe,” he promised. 

She squeezed his fingers in kind. “I know you will.”

“You bring me so much joy, more than sea salt ice cream.” 

She giggled. “Well now, that is a whole lot more.”

“It’s the truth.” He grinned.

A warmth flickered in her chest and she gasped. She looked up to see Roxas touching his fingers curiously to his chest, as well. 

The familiar sound of darkness materializing caught her ears and she snapped her head towards the window, the moment and the sensation in their chests forgotten at the sight of those familiar creatures crawling and pooling in the street.

“Heartless!” 

They both leapt to their feet and raced outside. 

With renewed energy, the shadows were taken out in an instant. Roxas laughed. 

“These are small fry! Where’s the big one that we came here for? Come on, Xion! Let’s go find it!” 

Roxas suddenly ran down the street, his boots thudding upon the pavement. Xion hesitated. Her thoughts were endless with what had just transpired between them. She had almost forgotten the mission and now, that feeling in her chest would be pushed to the side again. What was it? Was it dangerous? Should she be concerned? She knew Roxas had felt it, too, or else he wouldn’t have touched his chest at the same time she did. This world, this mission, that warmth spreading out from her chest ... She began to feel uneasy. None of it was probably connected at all, yet it didn’t make sense. The way she felt of Roxas was the same, they were just simply allowed to breathe for a moment, but something was going on that was beyond her understanding and outside of her control. She straightened. If anything was concrete, it was her desire to protect him, too, and that feeling burned in her entire being suddenly.

Xion bolted after him, her heels clicking hard on the paved street.


	3. Bringing Down the Whole World For You

Buildings blurred past as boots thudded hard upon the street. Lungs burned from exertion, but Roxas was at his peak in energy now and if that large heartless was going to be taken down, now would be the time to do it. And with Xion at his side, both offering the killing blow, it would make for a fantastic victory story for Axel later at the clock tower. 

Shadow heartless materialized all around him. Keyblade in hand, he thrust his arm out, swiping the creatures in a single motion. Running further into the inner city, the shadows were replaced with neoshadows - larger, longer arms for grabbing and sinister build, though still nothing in comparison to his keyblade. Roxas leapt up and sliced one down the middle. He whipped around and, in a single stroke, caught any that were behind him. He leapt up as they gathered beneath him, a living mass of darkness, some leaping up after him. He swung the keyblade, catching heartless with it the whole time he was in the air. At the peak of the jump, Roxas slammed down with a force that reverberated outward, destroying the ones directly underneath and paralyzing those at the edges.The rest pooled into the ground and crept back into darker shadows. After the rest of the heartless disappeared in a cloud of smoke, Roxas took a moment to catch his breath. 

He breathed in deep and pressed a few fingers to his chest. He remembered that moment at the cafe but didn’t have time to talk about it. Maybe it wasn’t all that important and maybe Xion would just think he was weird for it. He turned to see her running towards him.

“You caught up with me.” 

“You didn’t stop,” she said, breathless. “You took off. You --” 

“I thought you were right behind me.” 

The girl shook her head, her dark hair rustling slightly with the movement.

“Roxas, please don’t do that again. Something’s not right. Something feels wrong here. I just want you to be safe.” 

He peered into her face, a mixture of worry and fear in her eyes. He wondered what had been left unsaid. Maybe it was for the better. He took her hands tenderly in his own. 

“I’m sorry. I won’t ever do that again. I’ll make sure, for certain, that you’re behind me. But I trust you, XIon, that’s why I don’t look back.” 

“I want you to always look back,” she said suddenly, her voice breaking. She blinked, realizing what she had said. “But that’s not -- “ Her brow furrowed and she took her hands back, holding them close to her midsection. “That’s not what I meant.” 

“Isn’t it?” 

She appeared so small to him suddenly, drawn in, cast over by a shadow of sudden sorrow. His question was as soft as he could make it, without judgement or a harsh tone. He didn’t want to press the wrong buttons but he was trying so hard to figure out what to do to diffuse this sudden hiccup. Things had been going so well and now all of sudden they weren’t? He was glad for one thing at least - that he could be honest with her about his feelings without being berated by Axel all the time about not having any.

“It hurts me when you pull away, when you keep your insecurities shrouded by the hood of that coat.” 

“Now is not the time to be talking about this. We might be in danger.” 

For a split second, he felt that confidence within him, feeling like he could take on anything, but the look on her face, the concern, sobered him up. 

“The heartless are changing the deeper we go into the heart of this world. It must be in the middle of this city. That should be where we’ll find our target. And maybe we’ll find out the reason for why this world is so abandoned.” 

She stepped forward, brushing past him. He caught her arm and gently pulled her back.

“Xion, I -- I’m sorry I pressed your buttons.”

She gazed back at him. The look in his eyes, how he desperately wanted to make it right in the moment was always so touching. She turned around and stood before him and brought both of his hands up and held them gently in her own. 

“Just don’t be reckless,” she said softly. “I know you’re strong, but you’re not invincible.” 

He knew he wasn’t invincible, but with Xion there beside him, it was so easy to feel like he was.

He smiled, squeezing her hands. “I’ll be careful. Now, let’s take down this thing together and go home.” 

Still holding onto her hand, they walked down alleys and side streets, trying to weave around the sudden debris that obstructed their way. The sunny sky shifted to a drab grey, heavy with clouds and cold wind. Movement caught his eye, the keyblade instantly materializing in his free hand. An angry hiss sounded from the shadows and a cat, white fur bristling, stepped into view. 

“A cat?” 

“It’s a mother protecting her kittens.” Xion pointed at three shapes huddled around some boxes for protection. She got down on her knees, hand outstretched. The cat eyed her warily, sniffing her gloved hand. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” She lightly patted the cat on the head before fingering the ornate collar at her throat. 

“Duchess. Is that your name?” 

The cat meowed in response and rubbed against her face. 

“Hopefully with the destruction of this heartless, you’ll be safe.” 

“The sooner the better,” Roxas said, helping Xion back to her feet. 

“Take your kittens and leave this place,” she told the cat. She appeared to understand and began ushering the kittens down the way they had originally come towards the cafe. Xion couldn’t shake the feeling that that was the last time she’d ever see them.

Dark clouds billowed in the sky, lightening flickering in the darkest depths. A cold wind blew, rustling their hair and chilling their skin. The temperature in the air dropped suddenly. Roxas gazed upward, his expression a determined frown, blue eyes fierce. Xion swallowed, her empty chest heavy with uncertainty. The heartless became far more frequent and much more powerful the closer they got to the interior. But they kept pressing onward. 

Roxas stopped suddenly. He brought a hand out to stop Xion who was just behind him. A gasp escaped her as they saw the destruction before their eyes. Buildings had been uprooted and destroyed, the cityscape nearly completely leveled. The clouds up above them circled around the source of darkness. 

“There,” he said, pointing. Far beyond, was a larger than life Darkside. It towered above the land, growing more and more as the sky seemed to be completely swallowed up by shadows. 

“I’ve never seen one so colossal before. Are you - are you sure we can take it out?”

Roxas steeled himself. “We have to,” he said in a low voice. “It’s the mission.” 

It was in that moment that Xion understood.There truly was no going back - they couldn’t, the Organization wouldn’t let them. When she had lost the ability to wield the keyblade, she couldn’t go back and knew the repercussions should she return a failure. They had to take this thing out, or die trying. 

Lightning flashed and the wind howled in their ears. Every pool of shadow was a threat as heartless seemed to pour out of them. Xion swiftly turned, slicing away a Darkball. Roxas was busy with a dangerous Orcus, a heartless with a large blade, horns curled above its head and flying around in a random way, making it hard to follow or aim. Her hair was suddenly yanked back, clutched by a long-armed neo-shadow. She cried out. Roxas blasted it away with a fire spell from several feet away. Without hesitating, she swiftly charged forward, keyblade in hand, and slammed it into the flying Orcus before it had a chance to curse them or disappear. There was no time for thank you’s or relief. Xion’s expression mirrored Roxas’s and both were deadly determined to see this mission through. 

The broken and uprooted buildings were far behind and a desolate wasteland stretched out before them with the humongous Darkside at its center. They ran forward as fast as they could. The ground quaked beneath their feet and they lost their footing. Cracks ripped into the earth and both gasped in shock. 

“We gotta hurry,” Roxas yelled. “We’re almost there!” 

Xion’s eyes were fearful and the unease became almost overwhelming but she got to her feet and ran after her friend nonetheless. Chunks of the land lifted up to swirl in the air above the heartless’ head, a dangerous cyclone. A piece of land began to rise up and Roxas jumped on top of it, using it to leap further ahead. Xion dodged a large piece and kept running. 

Day had long since turned to night. It felt like they were running towards the Realm of Darkness, itself, shadows and death yawning before them and they willingly ran straight for it. The thing loomed stories above their head, but Roxas leapt up, a battle cry on his lips, as he caught the heartless in the leg. Xion tried to catch her breath. It was just too big. Roxas used the swirling pieces of land to get up higher. Heartless pooled from beneath it, crawling out of the dark abyss. Xion swiped her keyblade at some of them before leaping up to hit at their target. 

The Darkside’s arm came crashing to the earth, sending more fractures out into the land. Xion threw fire and ice spells at it before stabbing at its hand that still lay on the ground. She glanced up to see where Roxas was. It felt like he was miles above her, trying to get at its face. 

She heard it first before it happened, a warped and breaking sound, before a blinding light flashed in the distance. The world was gone. Only the broken, dead land existed. Xion stopped, the breath stolen from her in shock. She quickly looked up to see Roxas still slashing at its face. He hadn’t even noticed! Using the swirling chunks of land as a floating path, she leapt from mass to mass to get to him.

“Roxas, stop! We need to get away from here! Right now! We can’t do it. It’s too strong! Roxas!!!” 

Another sound, a low vibrational hum before the Darkside blasted them away. She screamed, blinded again and hurtling backward through the air! 

Roxas slammed hard to the ground. Pain pierced down his shoulder, almost making his hand go numb. Dust and grit filled his nose and he coughed. He struggled to get up but the air in his lungs had been completely knocked out of him. The wind continued to roar in his ears, far away sounds shrieking and moaning, as if the world itself were in its last throes of life. He groaned, trying to get up. He shook his head and, in sickening slow motion, it felt, got to his feet. He shook his head again, trying to make the dizziness go away. The sound and his vision became clearer and he squinted through the cyclone. The monster was still larger than life, the center of the maelstrom. Blue eyes darted left and right, up and down hoping to see his friend. 

He gathered his strength and leapt towards a land mass, landing solidly. He leapt again, his eyes ever searching for her. Shouting felt pointless when the wind would just eat it up. There! She lay on her face on a broken island. He leapt to her and fell on his knees next to her body. He tenderly picked her up and shook her. Please wake up, please wake up, he thought wildly. Her face was bruised where she must have hit the ground. Her eyes fluttered open but he saw how hard it was, remembering how difficult it was for him to collect himself from that terrible blast. 

“Come on, Xion, I need you to wake up. Quickly now. Come on.” He patted her cheek as her eyes became more aware, and tried to set her into a sitting position. Her hand shot to her temple, her body wracked in terrible pain. 

“It hurts,” she cried. 

Another sound, of blasts again and again reached his ears and he turned to see deep purple orbs shooting out of its empty mid section.They fell like rain all around them.

“We need to move now,” Roxas said. He stood up and struggled to get her to stand. 

“It hurts too much,” she protested. “You don’t understand how much it hurts!” 

Roxas was ready to scoop her up in his arms and carry her, but another sound, like everything being sucked in, stopped him. The wind changed direction. It was no longer swirling around them, but directed straight towards the Darkside. The wind was strong and fierce. Xion started to lose her balance and she grabbed hold of him. Roxas’s stability was wavering. They both fell to their knees. The wind grew stronger and Xion’s grip on him tightened. 

“Roxas!” 

They’d be ripped from the island at this rate. He summoned the keyblade and slammed it into the ground, holding onto it for dear life. He gripped Xion with his other hand. 

“I got you,” he shouted above the noise. “ Just hang onto me!” 

The wind clawed at them. The more they held on, the stronger it became. Roxas’s grip was like iron both hanging onto the keyblade hilt and onto Xion. They both lifted completely off the ground as the wind threatened to drag them backwards. There was no way he was letting go of her. His arms felt like they were being ripped from his body. 

“Please, don’t let go, Roxas,” she cried, “please, don’t let go!”

He dug his fingers into her flesh and felt her own grip dig into his arm. He looked back to lock eyes with her. The look of fear in her eyes was overwhelming. His own expression a mix of fear and determination. He’d protect her with everything he had.

“I’m not letting go! Trust me!” 

The vicious vortex felt like it went on forever. That if he just held on a minute longer, a second longer, then the winds would stop. Maybe this time ... this time ... this time. But it didn’t. It never stopped. But neither was he going to lose her. He was going to get them out of here. 

“Roxas, I -- we - -”

“We will,” he shouted. “We will!”

“It’s not your fault,” she continued. “It’s not! I -- you’re my best friend! Always remember that! I lo --” 

A piece of flying debris slammed into her! Her grip on him was lost. 

“NO! Xion!” 

She screamed but the wind quickly swallowed the sound. It happened so fast. She was just here and now she was gone.

He cried out in anguish as the wind whipped at his face. He fought hard to pull his burning, pained arm back and clutched the hilt of the blade with both hands. He failed. Despite what she said, it was his fault. He should’ve listened to her when she warned him. He should’ve been more cautious. He should’ve sensed the danger too and left while they still could. Instead, he got her taken by the darkness, and himself, too. It didn’t matter, nothing did. She was all that mattered. She was his light and he lost her. Anger swallowed his fatigue and sadness. There was no time for grief or shock. He gritted his teeth and let that emotion course through his entire body. He glanced back. The heartless was still there, in the center of it all. There was no way he was leaving here without one final clash. He would have the last blow, even if it destroyed him. For her - all of it was for her. 

He steeled himself and then allowed the winds to uproot the keyblade. Time slowed down, the winds became a low hum in his ears, almost silent. The Darkside slowly grew larger and larger as he hurtled towards it. He readied the weapon. I’m sorry, Xion, he thought. I’m so sorry. I’ll make it right, I promise. 

From the moment he let go, it happened in the span of a second. The keyblade cracked the Darkside in the face. A blinding flash. Then all was dark.


End file.
